Multnomah County receives highest designation for student success

All Hands Raised named fourth community partnership in national StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network to demonstrably improve outcomes and change systems

CINCINNATI, OHIO — StriveTogether, a national nonprofit working to improve education for every child, today announced Multnomah County is the fourth community to earn the “proof point” designation in the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network.

Communities in the Cradle to Career Network commit to improving outcomes for major milestones in a child’s life. The work of each community partnership is coordinated by a local organization — in the case of Multnomah County, All Hands Raised — with progress measured along a cradle-to-career continuum, from kindergarten readiness through postsecondary success and employment.

Proof point communities demonstrate that systems are changing and a majority of outcomes are improving or being maintained. In Multnomah County, the biggest overall increase is in high school graduation, which went from 64.7 percent in 2011-2012 to 73.3 percent in 2015-2016. The community is seeing improvements across all six StriveTogether outcomes, with racial gaps closing in the areas of high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment. All Hands Raised tracks an additional six outcomes on behalf of the community.

“Because of the influence of StriveTogether, we have built something new and different in our market,” All Hands Raised CEO Dan Ryan said. “All Hands Raised reflects a true partnership. Over the course of the last seven years, and in spite of 19 different superintendents (across seven districts), three Portland mayors, five Multnomah County chairs and numerous CEO changes, our community has made progress on creating a sustainable system. This partnership has put a stop to the rolling reforms and the fits and starts, and instead ensures a system that puts our kids first.”

Activities and achievements by All Hands Raised and partners across the county include:

Partnering with two schools to increase federal college student aid applications by tracking student completion by name and allowing application completion during class time. The following year, All Hands Raised helped spread the effective practices to six more schools, contributing to an 18-percentage point increase in completions countywide over two years. All Hands Raised is now spreading these practices to all high schools in the County.

Reducing disciplinary referrals by 38 percent for African American students at one school through a partnership with an organization that works with African American students. These students were disproportionately represented in referral and suspension data.

Decreasing by 24 percent the number of referrals given for disrespect at one school by figuring out what teachers meant and clarifying its definition of the term.

Keeping more ninth-graders on track to graduate by building an early indicator system to identify off-track eighth-graders and assembling a countywide network of culturally specific and responsive summer bridge programs.

Establishing a full-time data coordinator at the Multnomah Education Service District, helping to streamline data sharing between organizations and school districts.

“It’s exciting to end 2017 with a fourth community having reached this important milestone,” StriveTogether Interim CEO Jennifer Blatz said. “We now have communities from Cincinnati to Multnomah County getting better results for kids.”

About StriveTogetherStriveTogether leads a national movement of more than 70 communities to get better results in every child’s life. We coach and connect partners across the country to close gaps by using local data and expertise, especially for children of color and low-income children. Communities using our approach have seen measurable gains in kindergarten readiness, academic achievement and postsecondary success. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches 8.2 million students, involves 10,800 organizations and has partners in 32 states and Washington, D.C.

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